Down with the Double

May 1
3 min read

How did Bill Clinton react when first caught with his pants down inside the Oval Office in 1998?

His first instinct was to double down.

What did Pete Carroll do after blowing Super Bowl XLIX with arguably the most boneheaded play call in NFL history?

He immediately doubled down.

What was your play when your spouse discovered that “working late” translated to a two-hour casino run with your blackjack buddies?

Yup. You no doubt doubled down.

Doubling down in everyday life is actually a defense mechanism shrewdly posing as an offensive posture. It’s an outpour of aggression that swallows up any suggestions of guilt or incrimination leveled back at the accused.

While it screams of narcissism to the umpteenth degree, it is also designed to safeguard your integrity by steamrolling any incoming heat and finger-pointing.

However, there is an element of kamikaze to the double down maneuver. What always lurks is an impending risk of – excuse the pun – overplaying the hand.

In other words, going “all in” on a rash decision could surely amplify into catastrophic results when and if it all backfires.

For example, after doubling down on his claims of innocence, Bill Clinton was ultimately exposed as a double douche (wink-wink to you Road House fanatics), first for his initial infidelity, then for lying under oath about it.

As a result, he was faced with double the penalties, double the apologies, and double the infamy.

Of course, the concept of doubling down originated on the blackjack table, where this entire risk/reward balancing act all began.

Along with the splitting pairs feature, the double-D adds a touch of spice to the oft-repetitive script of a blackjack session, allowing players to multiply the damage in one swift strike.

It is commonly executed when the player is showing a 10 or 11 in the initial deal, as the assumed prospect of a face card results in a respective 20 or 21.

The downside, of course, is that once the double down wager is made (placing down an additional unit that matches your initial ante), the player is served one card and one card only for concluding his or her hand.

Therefore, if a 2 were to drop on that ever-critical third card, you’ll surely feel like a double douche.

It is a risky endeavor, no doubt, but is it one still worth taking?

Pundits will advise doubling down on the 10 or 11 in every scenario except for the dealer upcard showing a 10 or Ace. It is proven nonsensical to go toe-to-toe with an equal hand of the House.

Although slightly more perilous, a player totaling 9 on the first two cards could consider a DD depending upon the dealer upcard.

Dropping down an extra unit against a dealer 3, 4, 5, or 6 isn’t quite as automatic as handing off to Marshawn Lynch on the 1-yard-line, but it’s a likely successful outcome, nonetheless.

It is on the soft side where things can get dicey, as the Ace-X combo presents a multitude of scenarios for the double downer.

The Ace-6 hand is suitable for a DD play when the dealer displays a weak 3, 4, 5, or 6, while both the Ace-5 and Ace-4 tandems are suggested against a dealer 4, 5, or 6.